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Hearing loss myths debunked

Despite advances in technology that bring vastly improved sound to the hearing impaired, many people avoid getting their hearing checked like the plague, even though they suffer with hearing loss.

Some myths that surround hearing loss include the following:

I don’t need hearing aids because I can hear just fine out of one ear.

The truth is, because you can hear better with one ear than the other, chances are that you also have hearing loss in the “good” ear. According to the Better Hearing Institute, 90 percent of patients with hearing loss need hearing aids in both ears.

Only old people are hard of hearing.

Nearly 40 percent of people with hearing loss in the United States are younger than 60, says the American Association of Retired Persons.

As long as you can hear some sound, it's OK to wait to get hearing aids.

The longer you wait, the harder your hearing loss will be to treat, because if the auditory system in your brain isn't stimulated the brain stops recognizing sound, adds AARP.

Hiding your hearing loss is better than wearing hearing aids.

So not so. When you can’t hear, everybody notices it. You respond inappropriately to conversation, or not at all, or you constantly ask others to repeat themselves, or often just smile and nod your head because you can’t hear. If vanity rules your hearing loss, note that many hearing aids today are invisible or nearly invisible.

Hearing aids will make everything sound too loud.

In the old days, maybe. But today’s hearing aids automatically adjust sound, says the Better Hearing Institute, adding that many hearing aids today don't have a volume control.

Hearing loss may be inconvenient, but it doesn't affect your health.

Again, not true. Hearing loss may increase the risk of developing dementia, according to Johns Hopkins University. Additionally, hearing loss can affect balance.